1776. milled down from the hill, and ran clofe by us at full fpeed, which bore the appearance o f their having at firft intended a general attack. On the 8th, we continued our way homewards, when, befides a few fcattered hartbeefts, we faw a large herd of elk-antilopes ; we likewife that day {hot a buffalo, by which our Hottentot markfman was in the utmoft danger o f being trampled under foot. On the 9th we again faw feveral elk-antilopes, hartbeefts, and quaggas, pa fling by HaJJagai-bofcb. We fhot a female elk, from whofe body we cut out a foetus, which we carried away with us, and the next morning differed. The viieera we found to refemble thofe o f gazels in general. .. On the 10th we met with a farmer, who informed us, that two days journey from hence, two Caffre princes were at war with each other on account of a few ftray calves. At this place, crofting Boihies-man-rivier, we went up to a craal of Gonaquas Hottentots, who, in our prefence, performed their military exercife, of which I have made fome mention at page 15 8 o f this volume. On thé 1 ith , one o f our Bofhies-men having been informed, that his neareft relations had removed along with their craal into this neighbourhood, wiihed to take leave o f us ; and as he had given us his company and afliftance throughout the whole courfe of our journey, he aiked for iomething by way o f gratuity or recompence ; which I readily complied with, to his entire fatisfadlion, by pre- fenting him with a fteel for ftriking fire, a brafs tinder-box, fome tobacco, a knife, and a few glafs beads. He was the only maried man in our party, and feemed to have more ceconomy than any of the reft, having either for his own ufe, or that of his wife, loaded himfelf with the fleih o f the buffalo we had fhot laft; fome of which he carried extended over his ihoulders, and the reft hanging on a ftick, for the fake o f drying it in the fun. When the time came in which he muft part from us and his countrymen, he went away without taking any leave. In fa£t, it is the mode with the Hottentots, (as now, indeed, it is fometimes pra<ftifed with Us) to eclipfe, as it is called, in this manner. However, on my calling out to him when he was at a confiderable diftance from us, fa r ew el, in the Dutch language, accompanied with the Hottentot falutation fk a b e , he anfwered me in the fame language ; at the fame time making feveral aukward bows in the Dutch faihion. The other Hottentots laughed immediately at this incident, and (probably on this account) took a formal leaye of us, as well as o f each other, when they parted from us at Zondags-rivier, where we arrived in the evening. Here I met with an old Hottentot, who was born with four nipples, the two ipurious ones being rather lels than the others, and placed three inches lower. On the 1 ath, we met with feveral peafants, who, with the permiflion of the prefent governor, B a r o n P l e t t e n b e r g , had removed hither in order to inhabit this part of the country ; which, for this reafon, in my map, I have called P l e t - t e n b e r g ’s colony. In the evening about duik, the thermometer was at 68 degrees, when the rain began, which continued aft night long, with a fouthi-weft wind. R r a On «776. January.
27f 72-2
To see the actual publication please follow the link above